“I’m looking at it right now. I have one more favor to ask you.”
“Consider it done.”
“I’m sending you a name now. I need anything and everything you can find.” I tell him as I stare at the name on my screen.
“Got it.” He clips and we hang up.
Looks like I’ll be a little later than I planned meeting Parker tonight. Leaning forward in my seat, and start a search on the name that has been plaguing my mind. Windows on my second monitor open and I smirk.
Well hello, Nick.
Chapter twenty-seven
Cole stands at thedoor, allowing the few people left inside of Doc’s to exit before he closes and locks it. It’s closing time, and today has seemed to drag on endlessly. After Maverick left this morning, I managed to fall back asleep and stay that way for most of the day. He’s flooded my thoughts for most of the day, and I think that was his goal with how he woke me up.
Sadist.
Smiling to myself, I grab a rag from the cabinet under the cash register and begin wiping down the bar top. Throughout my shift, whenever the door would open I’d catch myself hoping it was him walking in. I can honestly say that in a very short amount of time, I have become completely captivated by him. The feeling of safety his presence provides, the firm yet somehow gentle touch of his hands, the timber in his voice, his captivating eyes, everything about him.
Pulling my phone from my back pocket–for the hundredth time tonight–I check to see if he’s messaged me at all and frown when there are no notifications. Shoving it back in my pocket, I continue my task of wiping the bar down and blow some stray wisps of hair out of my face.
“His meeting took longer than he thought it would. He got back home a while ago, but had something come up that needed his attention.” Cole says from his corner booth, and I raise my head to look at him. Feeling the heat in my cheeks, I clear my throat. “No need to be embarrassed, Parker. I think he’s just as smitten with you as you clearly are with him.” Cole snorts and shakes his head.
This is the most he’s spoken to me since he started working here a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t mind that he didn’t speak much, though it did make the closing routine a little awkward with him just sitting in the corner, never having anything to say.
“What makes you say that?” I press, grabbing the broom and rounding the end of the bar. Keeping my back to Cole–so he doesn’t see the obvious embarrassment written on my face–I begin sweeping the floor around the bar stools.
“I’ve been working for Mav for about a year now. He’s the type of guy, that no matter what the situation is, you can never tell how he’s feeling. He’s stoic at all times, even when he’s pissed. He’s unpredictable in that sense. Last night though, when that asshole grabbed you, his entire demeanor changed to something I’ve never seen from him.”
“And what was that?”
“Rage.” Cole says and I freeze in place. Slowly, I turn to face him. I noticed how angry he was as soon as I looked over at them last night, but I’m surprised to find out that Cole has never seen that kind of reaction from him before.
“You’ve never seen him angry?”
“Oh, I’ve seen him angry. It’s just not usually until he does something with it that you see it, and by then, it’s too late.”
Nodding, I go back to sweeping and Cole goes back to looking at his phone. After finishing my closing chores, we make our way out into theparking lot. Cole locks the door and we walk over to where both of our cars are parked. Tonight, he’s parked beside me instead of down the lot.
“Goodnight, Cole. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” I tell him as I fish my keys out of my purse. My eyes lift to my car and my face scrunches, Cole stops beside me.
“What the fuck?” He growls.
All four tires on my car are completely flat.
“My pressure sensors weren’t on when I got here. How the hell did that happen?” A cold chill runs down my spine and I begin looking over my shoulder. Goosebumps cover my skin and the hairs all over my body stand upright.
“Cole, I think there’s someone out here.” I whisper.
“Mother fucker. Here, take my keys and get in my car. Start it up and lock the doors. I’ll be right back.” He hands me his keys and walks me over to the passenger side, his eyes scanning our surroundings. Unlocking the doors, I slide into the seat. Cole closes the door and I click the lock. I push the key into the ignition to fire up the engine, and watch as he walks away from the car. He pulls a gun out of his hip holster and steps back toward the building, keeping his finger hovering over the trigger. My breathing escalates as I watch him walk around the side of the bar and disappear into the darkness.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck raise again and my head whips around to check the area behind me. I can’t see anything, but I can feel it. Turning back around, I fix my eyes on the spot Cole disappeared in. Reaching my hand to the door handle, I’m about to get out of the car to look for him when he emerges. Frustration covers his face, running his free hand over it while the other still holding his weapon. He comes to the door and I roll down the window.
“There’s no one out here. I’m going to fix your tires then follow you home. Stay in here.” He says, then walks to the back of the car. He knocks on the trunk and I push the button on his key fob to unlock it. The trunk raises and Cole digs around for a minute before he slams it shut again. He drops a small air compressor on the ground and comes back to the window. Rolling it down, I hand him my keys and he goes back over to my car. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and presses it to his ear. Unlocking the doors, he opens the drivers side and plugs in the compressor, then gets to work on filling my tires.
Cole finished filling my tires, and proceeded to follow me home. Thankfully, they weren’t slashed. Pulling into my driveway, Cole follows and stops his car next to mine. I step out of my Jeep and he rolls his window down.
“I’ll leave once you’re inside. I just wanted to make sure you made it safe.” He says with a smile.
